MANILA, Philippines - Miss Universe Philippines candidate Maxine Medina has been the subject of online bashing of Filipino netizens for her supposed poor English communication skills.

Photo Credit: Instagram/Maxine Medina

Netizens pointed out Medina’s lack of fluency for the English language after a video of her speaking in a media conference was shared on social media. According to them, Medina would do better in the prestigious pageant if she will be allowed to speak in Filipino.

Meanwhile, Medina’s supporters came her to defense saying that the Miss Universe pageant is a beauty competition and not an oratorical contest.

Trainer defends Medina

English training specialist Mark Arthur Payumo Abalos, who reportedly worked closely with Medina, claimed that the beauty queen showed a lot of improvement during her 7-month training.

In his viral Facebook post, Abalos urged netizens to quit comparing Medina’s communication skills from her predecessors. According to Abalos, it is normal for non-native English speakers to commit mistakes.

"Errors are normal. Even first language speakers of English commit mistakes, too. At the end of the day, it's just a beauty contest. Maxine will still be beautiful. She'll still be designing interiors. She has a beautiful life ahead. How about you?” Abalos wrote.

Arida hopes PH candidates will be allowed to use Filipino

While many netizens are urging Medina to use Filipino language in the pageant’s question and answer portion, former Miss Universe candidate and third-runner up Ariella Arida said the pageant is a good platform to showcase our native language.

Arida revealed that she thought she would be allowed to speak in Filipino during the competition after receiving negative criticisms on her English communication skills. However, Arida said it was not her choice to make.

Mentor aiming for top 3

Despite all the negative criticisms on Medina, pageant mentor Jonas Gaffud is aiming for a top 3 finish in the upcoming Miss Universe pageant.

In his interview with Pep, Gaffud said: “Well, I’m aiming for the Top 3. Gusto kong makapasok sa Top 3 si Maxine.”